Masquerade
by TheSixthApprentice
Summary: Everyone's turning against each other; could possibly one of them have committed the murder of their friend, Xion? It seems each of them is hiding something, but what could it be? "We all know it wasn't Demyx." Warning: Strong language.
1. Suspicions Arise

_**Masquerade: Suspicion's Arise**_

"'Young Girl Found Dead'. On November 15, 2016 a body had been found in the woods near Radiant Avenue and River Street; a common place for a group of teens to meet. The cause of death was ruled as head trauma and not the gunshot wound on her side according to investigators. Few pieces of evidence were left behind such as a handgun, footprints, and strange markings in the dirt. Footprints were taken into a forensic lab and were determined to match the treading of the famous shoe brand, Converse. Police are still on the search for the potential murderer."

"Damn." Breathed Axel, as his friend lowered the newspaper after reading the short article. He combed his hand through his spiky hair. "Why would anyone want to hurt Xion?" Zexion folded up the newspaper and slapped it against the table without a reply.

The sound of heels hitting the hardwood floor were sharp and slow. A smooth hand found Axel's back with a seductive giggle.

"Oh, come on. Lighten up!" It was Larxene with a shot of some alcoholic drink in her hand. "This is supposed to be a fun party! Let's not talk about that." She glared at Zexion, as if they were communicating on eye contact alone. He raised an eyebrow at her and she lowered her head to Axel's and started mumbling and giggling. She probably had a few too many already.

Demyx walked in; blue electric guitar in hand, ready to put on an epic show. "What are you guys all doing in the kitchen? The party's out here!" He pointed behind him towards the living room of his home.

Larxene gave a snotty glare, wrinkling up her nose in disgust. "Fuck off, Demyx." She started pecking Axel's cheek with her lips. Her boyfriend didn't seem too comfortable with the idea and tried shrugging her off. She took an offensive step back and sighed heavily. They had been going out on and off for months now, never being able to keep a steady relationship. She was an overdramatic, psycho-bitch anyway.

Demyx stared down at the wooden floorboards, tracing the patterns with his eyes. He was sensitive and just about everything affected him, especially harsh words from Larxene. His sadness went ignored as he sulked back into the living room with significantly less energy than when he had entered.

"You know, Larxene." Axel began, cracking his knuckles. He had been sitting there for a while. She crossed her arms. "Why do you always have to be so, I don't know…" Zexion quickly glanced up, looking back and forth from Axel to Larxene. He saw her eyes narrow and a snarl forming. He knew shit was about to go down. "Bitchy?" She slammed her heeled boot onto the floor.

"Excuse me?" She questioned before giving off a fake laugh in preparation in one-upping him. "At least I have a job, work my ass off, and not sit and play fucking video games every day." Zexion rolled his eyes and took out his phone from his pants pocket. These arguments could be entertaining so he thought he might stay a while.

Axel shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Here we go, but that doesn't explain why you have to be such a bitch all the time. At least I find time to relax and chill." He relaxed his arms behind his head after taking a sip from a nearby can of soda. She growled loudly. "You know, maybe you're the actual murderer." Zexion's eyes widened and time seemed to stop. This was it. This was where shit was about to reach the depths of hell and return to Satan's ass upon the throne: the throne where she herself would one day sit. The ticking of the clock became audible as Larxene's face coiled into something demon worthy.

"You know fucking what, bitch? I am fucking sick and tired of your lazy motherfucking ass! And you know, I'm not the murderer now but you know what? I _will_ be the murdered if you don't fucking shut your goddamn mouth! If you fucking accuse me one more time about that stupid murder I will chainsaw your fucking balls off!" Zexion snickered as Roxas and Demyx stepped in, concerned something had gone terribly wrong. When they found it was Larxene just bitching again, they took a quiet step back in hopes of not being noticed. "I will fucking kick your ass to the grave! Don't you dare fucking mess with me!" She grabbed his soda can and crushed it on his head before stepping out onto the porch through the screen door. Axel sat there, pretty neutral to the whole thing.

Demyx's eyes were wide. "Wow." It was dead silent, but everyone's ears were still experiencing the pain from Larxene's piercing screams. Zexion nonchalantly slid the pile of napkins towards Axel's reach. He stood up, wiped his face with a handful of napkins and headed towards the bathroom.

"Hey, I got a crazy idea. What if Larxene's the-" Roxas quickly slapped his hand across Demyx's mouth before he could speak any further, in fear that Larxene would hear and beat him to a pulp. The flicking of a lighter was heard and the scent of tobacco filled the air shortly after. She was lighting one up on the porch.

It was awkwardly quiet until Axel returned from the bathroom. Demyx rushed upstairs to get him a new change of clothes; they fit surprisingly well since Demyx was a little bit bigger in than waist than he was. He returned to his seat and everyone but Larxene was around the table in silence.

The screen door slid open on its track and gently shut as she stepped back in, sighing.

"Look," she said, staring down at the floor. "I know this murder case is important to each of us, but accusing each other of killing our own friend is pretty low. " Demyx looked around the room, confused, he eventually found a fly roaming around his kitchen and kept his attention on that. "And no, this isn't a stupid, lame apology either. You'll each get treated like shit if you start accusing me of that. Now, can we move on and party?"

"Not to accuse anyone, but what if the killer is one of us?" Axel questioned quietly, taking a sip from a new soda can he had gotten. Everyone glanced at each other except Demyx. He was too interested in watching the fly.

"Get your head out of your ass, Axel. Nobody here would do that." Larxene snapped. "There's millions of killers in the world, just one of them happened to pass by this shitty town and hunt down Xion. Now, can we party now, or what?"

Roxas crossed his arms and stared down at the table. "But what did Xion do to anybody? The worst she could've done is probably step on an insect, but she rarely did that." Larxene groaned.

Axel nodded and cupped his chin. "Out of all the people in this town, out of all the criminals, dropouts, and druggies, they just _had_ to pick Xion...Why?"

Zexion cleared his throat. "Perhaps she kept something hidden from us. Maybe she wasn't all what she seemed to be."

The fly zoomed into the living room where it was out of sight for Demyx, which left him confused as to what they were discussing. "Hey," he said, "what if one of us killed Xion?" Larxene face-palmed and Zexion sighed.

"We all know it wasn't Demyx." Larxene mumbled. That night, everyone seemed eerily quiet and seemed more attentive than usual. Nobody made many jokes and nobody seemed to laugh whole-heartedly. The party ended shortly and they went their separate ways.

Of course the criminal couldn't be one of them, right?

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters._


	2. Obtaining Clues

**_Masquerade: Obtaining Clues_**

" _Do you really think I did it? It seems like everyone else does…."_ She hit send and waited for a reply from her close friend, Zexion. The two had been long time pals, even before she dated Axel. If she could trust anyone in their friends group, it was him.

A minute later, her phone vibrated twice with a reply.

" _Honestly, Larxene, I really don't understand what you could benefit from her death. Don't worry about it; everyone's just paranoid and wants to avenge her death."_

She sighed in relief. At least she knew for certain that she had someone on her side. It seemed like Axel was distancing himself from her since he didn't even bother sending his nightly good night text to her. Speaking of Axel, she just remembered something a bit off from him during the day of the killing.

" _Hey, Zex? Promise me you won't tell anyone, but if I remember correctly, the night Xion died Axel was acting weird...I can't explain it. He just seemed to act really strange, not like himself at all. BTW thanks for having my back. "_

That night she had just gotten home from a nightly jog, something she did on a regular basis. Larxene was the "health freak" of the group and was always looking for ways to slim down. She never ate pizza, fries, or even ice cream; only the fat free or sugar free kind. But when she got back to the apartment she shared with Axel, she remembered him being a bit paranoid. Every sound she made, caused him to jump in his chair. He couldn't even focus enough to play his video games, which was very odd.

Her phone vibrated.

" _It was probably Axel being Axel. Can you give any description of his behaviour?"_

She quickly texted back a reply that summed up her story. She remembered how he was worried about where she was, even though she informed him several times that she was just out for a jog; never once before had he been so worried regarding her whereabouts. Zexion however, didn't seem that concerned and just brushed it off as "Axel being Axel" yet again. That could be true, but it felt foreign to Larxene. Something was up and she needed to find out.

Her phone vibrated again.

" _You know, I also remember something a bit off. I recall seeing Roxas at the graveyard on Hollow Rd. I'm not saying it's relevant or anything, but don't you think it's kind of odd or even a coincidence he was there on the night of her passing?"_

" _I think you and I need to do some low key investigating ;)"_

The two had made plans that day: Larxene was going to pester Axel while Zexion was going to, in his words, "lightly interrogate" Roxas. Larxene had just gotten up and hadn't left her bed so she met Axel in the living room where he was in his red shorts eating a bowl of some sugary cereal; something that she didn't allow.

She stood in front of the television. He was watching highlights of last nights wrestling match.

"Where did you get that?" She inquired, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto on hip. She stared down at him menacingly.

He swallowed a spoonful. "Uh, the store?" He turned down the volume of his show. "What do you want?" She sat down beside him and rested her hand on his knee.

"I want to talk about a certain night…" She stared deeply into his eyes as if they could tell her everything she needed to know.

"Larx, if you're hinting about what happened last night, then I-"

"No." She said sternly. "I want to talk about the night of, well, you know…"

"You mean the night that we tried that-"

"No!" She exclaimed. She did not want to bring up that awkward topic. "I wanted to talk about the night of Xion's death!"

He looked a bit taken aback and slid his tongue across his teeth. "Ok, well what about it?"

She removed her hand and crossed her arms again. "I'm just curious about what you were doing that night." Her voice was calmer and gentler.

He raised an eyebrow. "What, are you accusing me?" He took another bite of his cereal. He had poured what seemed to be almost an entire box of Trix cereal into a mixing bowl. "Look, I don't see why you're so obsessed with this whole thing, really. Just leave it up to the police, they know what they're doing." He was about to turn up the volume on the remote, but she grabbed it from his hand.

The scent of the artificially flavoured fruit cereal made her gag. "I just find it odd how strange you were acting that night. And come to think of it," she added, tapping her finger on her chin, " I can't say I'm certain I knew where you were while I was out for my nightly jog." She tilted her head to the side, waiting for his response, giving that 'I've got you now' grin.

He took a bite from his pile of cereal in his bowl. "Well, sometimes people panic when their girlfriend isn't home on time and it's late at night." She rose an eyebrow, not satisfied with his answer.

"Late at night? My jogs are only about 45 minutes and I left at around eight that night. So you were freaking out because it was almost nine?" She giggled. "Come on, Axel that's the dumbest excuse ever."

He snatched his phone from the side table. "I texted you like ten times that night asking if you were okay." He shook his phone in front of her face and set it back down as if to prove a point. "I didn't get a single reply so I kinda freaked out. Are we done now? I'd like to see the results of last night's match."

She sighed and got up from the couch as he shoveled more spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth. She never got any texts from him that night, but there wasn't any point in interrogating him further because it would only cause a heated argument. Grabbing her phone from the nightstand by the bed, she closed the door behind her and sent a message to Zexion.

" _I didn't get much from Axel. He only says he was acting strange because it was late and apparently had texted me a bunch of times and I didn't reply. I have no texts whatsoever from that night. How do you plan on questioning Roxas?"_

As she waited for his reply, she dug out some clothes from her closet and laid them out on the queen sized bed, analyzing if they'd make a good enough outfit to wear today. The morning sun seeped into the windows, brightening the small room.

Her phone vibrated twice.

" _I'll let you know later. I'm busy right now."_

She rolled her eyes and replied.

" _Busy doing what?"_

It vibrated exactly twice.

" _That's none of your concern."_

She groaned and threw on her outfit that consisted of a black tanktop and short shorts that were torn and frayed, and of course the painted on some winged eyeliner. If Axel wasn't going to give her a reliable answer and Zexion was allegedly "too busy" doing god knows what, then she figured that she would find all the answers herself.

Opening the bedside drawer, she grabbed a notebook and a pen and slammed it shut with her hip while opening to a clean sheet of paper.

"Let's start writing this shit down…"

She scribbled onto the sheet of paper:

 **Axel- inconsistent story, claims he was scared and it was late, sent text messages that I never received.**

 **Zexion-**

She decided not to write that he was allegedly busy and just brushed it off. Since he was busy, who knew when he could talk directly to Roxas? Like he would even confront him about that; most of the time he's all talk and no action. So, she decided to chat it up with his Roxas' older and rebellious brother, Vanitas to get another perspective into his story.

Everyone knew who the yellow-eyed and black haired twenty one year old was. He was known for the graffiti in town and was always into getting high and drunk; total opposite of his brother. She and him were acquaintances and talked every now and then so she invited him out to lunch at a nearby cafe. He was "fashionably late" of course.

"So, what's this all about?" He questioned, twirling a black, signet ring around his middle finger. His nails had faded black spots; he painted them every now and then for some reason.

"Well," Larxene started, whipping out her notebook and pen, "I just want some information about your brother, Roxas. Zexion was supposed to be the one snooping, but you know how he is…"

He smirked, causing his lip piercing to move with the stretch. "Oh, I know." He said subtly which caused Larxene to tilt her head as if she was missing something he said. "Anyways, what about that idiot? Did he do something stupid again?"

Larxene smiled. "Well, that's kind of what I want to know. You see, Roxas was at the Hollow Road Graveyard uh…" She searched for the right words. "On the night Xion died...Do you have any reason why he'd be there? Be as specific as you can."

He rose an eyebrow and took a sip of his black coffee. "Well, the only thing I can think of is that maybe he was out walking his stupid dog. I don't see why he'd be at a graveyard unless he really is an angsty piece of shit." He giggled slightly into his cup of coffee before taking another sip.

A waitress walked by with a tray full of pastries and Vanitas took the opportunity to stare. Larxene rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"Really?"

"Hey," he replied, not taking his eyes off of her, "if I see a great ass, I stare at that ass, man or woman." She groaned and scribbled in her notebook:

 **Roxas- seen at graveyard. Walking his dog?**

"Do you have anything else to share?" When the woman was no longer visible, he turned his attention back to Larxene, who was waiting impatiently while tapping her pen on the table.

"Nope, that's all." He drank the rest of his coffee. "Oh, wait a minute!" He exclaimed. "Did you see the update? Apparently they also found a shovel too." He pulled out his phone to show the news article. "And guess where that shovel was from? Hollow Road Graveyard."

Larxene swiped the phone away from him and scrolled through the article quickly. "Oh my god. Do you think it's just a coincidence that Roxas was there?" She scrolled back to the top and saw that the update was made this morning.

He shrugged, playing with his gauge piercing. "Can't say for sure, but I've gotta go."

"Where?" She quickly interjected. He seemed taken aback by her sudden question.

"I'm busy." He pulled out a five dollar bill and slapped it onto the table. She gave him a questioning glare to pry further. "It's none of your concern." He grabbed back his phone and with a small wave, he left the cafe.

She figured it was odd that he had to abruptly leave, but brushed it off. Things happen.

Next, she wanted to talk with Demyx and hear his side of the story, but she had no clue when he was available and didn't have his contact information. But, what she did know was that tonight, the entire gang was going to meet up again because there was going to be a huge wrestling match on. She was definitely going to get dragged along by Axel.

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters._


	3. Shit Just Got Real

_**Masquerade: Shit Just Got Real**_

As they arrived Demyx's old farm house, she was able to get him alone in the kitchen minutes after entering the door. He was attempting to make a plate full of snacks and arranging them so that all five different types of their favorite crackers and snack cakes could fit. After asking him if he was going to add any vegetables, she changed her tone.

"Alright, Demyx be honest." His head snapped up, immediately giving her his full attention. She lowered her voice into a hushed one. "Have you noticed anyone acting strange?" She decided it was best to make him trust her first before she interrogated him. She took a step closer, closing in the space between them. "You can tell me," she whispered, "I won't tell." Her voice seemed almost seductive; her thin smile on her red lips confirmed this.

He swallowed hard and his hands began to shake.

"I-uh-I-" He dropped the cracker he was holding. "I can't say that I have." She tilted her head to the side and placed a hand on the counter top. He quickly picked up the cracker and placed it with its kind on the plate.

"Really? Well, it seems to me like you're acting a bit suspicious...What are you nervous about?" She pried with a smile.

His shoulders dropped and his eyes swelled up with tears. "Okay, okay," he started, his voice cracking and higher pitched than normal. He began to talk with his hands. "I didn't mean to do it, I just couldn't resist!" He began to sob into his hands and Larxene's eyes grew wide.

"Oh my god you can't be serious." Her heart began to pound; she was not expecting this at all. She took a quick step back, slowly making her way far away from him as her hands slid across the drawers, subtly trying to find one where the knives were kept; it was the one right at the end.

"I got the cage from my car and just put her in it! She was so cold and lonely out there!" He sniveled up a bunch of mucus and continued sobbing.

"What are you talking about?" She questioned, finally finding the drawer and quietly opening it, not taking her eyes off of him.

"She was just so cute and-and- I know it was wrong! Please don't call the police!"

Her mouth was open and she was breathing faster. "Demyx, you killed an innocent human, you don't want me to report that?" He looked up from his hands, his eyes were all red and wet.

"What?" He questioned, his voice still cracking and higher pitched.

"You killed Xion." She stated, but wasn't too sure if that was a good idea. "Right?" She questioned, not to seem too blunt.

Axel, Roxas, and Zexion rushed in after hearing the commotion.

"What's going on in here?" Axel spat, noticing Larxene looking frightened and Demyx crying.

"I told you I didn't do it!" Demyx exclaimed. Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between the two, unsure of what they should do. "I picked up a kitten on the side of the road and didn't report it!"

Larxene heaved out a sigh and closed the kitchen drawer. "Oh my fucking god." She breathed. "You had me believing you confessed to the killing!" She returned to his side and patted his back roughly. "You need to calm the fuck down."

Axel's mouth dropped. "Are you serious? That's what this was all about? Back to wrestling." He exited back to the living room and plopped onto the sofa, followed by Roxas.

Zexion handed Demyx and pile of tissues.

"I think this is getting too out of hand." He crossed his arms as Demyx grabbed an orange bottle of medication. He was diagnosed with some type of anxiety and freaked out about almost anything. "I suggest we shouldn't bring this subject up around certain individuals." He watched Demyx place a tiny pill into his mouth. "What do you think, Larxene?"

She looked away and crossed her arms.

"I was just trying to gather information, god." He left and joined the rest of the guys in the living room while Demyx was trying to compose himself. Larxene stepped outside onto the porch and pulled out her notebook from her purse.

She wrote down more information:

 **Demyx- Innocent? Situation seems to be the last thing on his mind.**

She tapped her pen to her chin; she wanted something against Zexion. He seemed like he had more to tell. But, maybe he would reject the idea because he seems so dead against bringing it up again? She had to try something...Perhaps she could get a hold of someone he knew. But who else knows him well? Axel? She could always try that.

Suddenly it began to rain and the wind picked up, pulling the trees in one direction. Debris began to slap against the house. Demyx, already anxious enough as it is, decided to cover himself with a blanket.

Larxene went into the living room and sat next to her boyfriend. She decided she might as well try to look like she was interested.

Axel watched intently as his favorite wrestler body slammed his opponent, cheering and drinking his soda as he did so. When it cut to a commercial break about alcohol, he got up and went into the kitchen where the bathroom was. Larxene counted to one minute and went into the kitchen, waiting for him to come out. Once he did, she stopped him by placing a hand on his chest.

"Axel?" She asked innocently.

"Yeah?" He replied, determined to get back on the couch to watch his favorite sport. She slid her hand down to his stomach and smiled.

"I'm sorry about earlier, we good?" She decided to brush off the topic like that. He'll forgive and forget about it, leaving him more enabled to talk about it later at some point.

"Yeah, sure." Axel replied in a monotone; a good sign he'd forget what she was talking about. She kissed his cheek and he walked away. With that done, she decided to sit beside him again and stayed quiet the entire time. Every once in awhile she'd get a confused glare from Demyx. She was never this quiet.

The match was over and Roxas was asleep on the floor and all the snacks had been eaten between the three junk-food addicts better known as Roxas, Demyx, and Axel. The most anxious one of the three was fluttering his eyes and yawning. It seemed the only one who truly enjoyed wrestling was Axel and Axel only. It was nearing 3 PM and the storm was still strong. The wind howled and the thunder roared and Demyx seemed calmer.

Larxene was still unusually quiet and was browsing the internet on her phone. Zexion got up and went into the kitchen.

"Well," Axel stretched, "I think I'm gonna head home and hit the sack. It's time for my cat nap." He got up too quickly and began to see stars. "Ready Larxene?" They ended up coming here in the same car, but she was far from being ready.

"Nah, I'll jog home. It's only like a few minutes away anyways." She made her way into the kitchen, not even making eye contact with her boyfriend. He swiped his car keys from the end table, giving a confused glare.

"Okay then." He shrugged, said his goodbyes, and kicked Roxas in the side before stepping out the front door. His headlights faded down the road in the pouring rain. Demyx slid on his yellow rain coat and brown boots.

"I've gotta check on Chester, I'll be back!" He stepped through the kitchen porch door and made his way to the old barn out back. Chester was his favorite stallion and he had, had him since he was five. Originally he had been named Freckles due to the gray spots on its coat, but he liked Chester better.

Opening the cupboard door, Zexion pulled out a small glass and began filling it with tap water. She leaned up against the counter beside him.

"I love it when it rains, "Larxene sighed, "there's just something about the calmness it brings." He brought the glass to his lips.

"I suppose." He set the glass on the counter. "Is there something you want?" She let out a sigh and stretched out her arms with a cat-like yawn.

"Mmm, nothing really in particular." She replied in a breath, letting out another over-dramatic yawn. "Remember that time we went to that sketchy club near the alley?" He looked away, staring out the glass door to the porch; it was downpouring. He breathed out a light sigh.

"Yes, I remember that. Why?"

She stood up straight, taking a step closer. "I don't know, it's just that you're _so_ boring when you're in your little shell. You need to loosen up a lot." She bit her lip and smiled seductively.

He remained collected despite her antics. She was known to flirt with a few select people without Axel's knowledge. He probably wouldn't care much anyway if he found out; he was quite lethargic and it wouldn't be surprising if she was cheating on him.

"Are you saying that I should apologize for my personality?" He narrowed his eyes towards her as she crept closer, nearly touching him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he swallowed.

"No," she smiled, "you just need to learn to have fun." She giggled and leaned her head in close to his ear while twirling a strand of his long bangs around her finger. She noticed him stiffen and he inhaled a bit sharply, causing her to smirk. "Now," she purred, "I think it's time that you and I had a talk, don't you think?" She was now leaning against him; he had to support himself by pressing his back against the countertop to keep from falling over. He slid his teeth on his bottom lip and looked down at the floor, carefully thinking of a plan to remove himself from this situation once again. "Don't you agree?" She asked, sounding a bit desperate. Her eyes never swayed from his, yet he never once looked at her.

"What would this discussion consist of?" He asked plainly. She just simply laughed.

"Oh, I just want to know some things that's all. Nothing major." She hung off his shoulder. "Maybe have a few drinks…"

Just as she was about to open her mouth to say more, Roxas stepped in and froze. Larxene quickly stepped away, clearing her throat. Slowly and awkwardly, he made his way to the freezer and grabbed a sea-salt ice cream and jogged out of the kitchen.

Larxene sighed, "I forgot about Roxas…Anyways, we should start investigating." She winked and smiled. "Oh, and I talked with Vanitas earlier and got some info to share about Roxas."

Zexion seemed to tense up a bit and she gave almost a concerned glare. "Why did you talk with Vanitas?"

She smiled. "Well I didn't feel like talking to Roxas, besides, I prefer talking to Vanitas any day of the week." She noticed that his hands were suddenly shut which was odd. "Did I do something wrong or...?"

"No." He quickly answered. "No it's not that. What did you find?"

"I'll text you later." She winked and slid her hand across his chest as she walked passed him and into the living room. "Shit." She mumbled. She had forgotten that Axel had left and she would need to jog home. She also forgot that it was literally downpouring. "Zexion!" She called out. "I need a ride home."

As he pulled into her driveway, she turned in her seat and stared directly at him.

"You know, the killer could be connected to either of us and neither of us would know." He shook his head.

"Why are you so obsessed with it?"

"Because we live in _such_ a small town. The only people Xion knows is us; one of us _has_ to know something, right?" He looked away for a moment and swallowed. "Right?" She repeated.

"I suppose."

She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, raising a brow. "Perhaps it could be you."

"Me?" He repeated in a scoff. "Why would you suspect that?"

"Oh, I don't know," she replied, slowly leaning towards him, her voice slowly dropping. "You're always so secretive. You hide everything. In fact, I actually don't know much about you."

"Axel's waiting for you." He changed the subject quickly. "He's probably wondering why we're sitting here."

She scoffed and flipped her wrist. "Please, that asshole is knocked out on his bed. I've lived with him for almost a year now. I catch up on his patterns." Zexion sighed and sunk in his seat. "I'm still suspecting you until you give me a reason to trust you." He just rolled his eyes, waiting for her to leave. "Meet me at my house at twelve tomorrow, we have a little meeting. Don't be late." She quickly got out and slammed his car door.

That next morning, Larxene was awoken to a knock on the door. It was probably Axel forgetting something again. He would usually leave for his job and come right back within an hour to grab his lunch or something. When she swung the door open with a sigh, her heart stopped.

"We're with the Twilight Town Police Department and we'd like to ask you some questions."

 _Shit just got real._

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts_


	4. The Interrogation Begins

_**Masquerade: The Interrogation Begins**_

"We're going to ask you a few questions if you don't mind." Said a broad officer across the long table. "We expect you to answer truthfully as this will immensely help our investigation." He had a man with a pad of paper beside him. "If we feel it is necessary, we may further question you."

Demyx swallowed and looked around the entire room like a bird; unable to keep his head in the same place for more than a second. Sweat poured from his head and his fingers shook. His knees knocked against each other. "Uh, okay."

"Now," Said the officer, giving a piercing stare, "Can you tell us anyone Xion knew that she was enemies with, or didn't crash well together?"

Demyx drummed his fingers on the table and looked around the room; ignoring the officer's stern gaze.

"Uh, she got along with everybody. The only person I-I think she had a problem with was Vanitas Strife or Seifer uh, Seifer Almasy." He watched as the man beside him scribbled words down. Demyx was panicking that he had gotten the two said boys into trouble or something for bringing them up.

"Vanitas Strife…" The officer repeated with a smile. "Why is it that when something bad happens in this town he is involved somehow?" He cleared his throat. "Anyways, can you tell us anything strange happening on the day of her passing? Was there someone strange or town, or anything unusual? No matter how subtle it is."

Demyx tapped the ends of his fingers together. "Well um, the only strange thing was that I saw was Larxene Gray at a restaurant that I usual go to at night. She didn't see me, but I saw her and she claimed she was out for a jog that night." His shaking became worse and he began to hyperventilate.

"Woah, calm down there, son. Is everything alright?" The officer reached across and patted his shoulder. Demyx reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pill from a orange medication container and placed it in his mouth.

"I-I have a panic disorder, sorry."

There was silence for a couple of minutes and he calmed down and sighed.

"I don't mean to frighten you or overwhelm you, but this is very important. If you do not wish to be further questioned then you may leave."

The questioning was cut short because Demyx's medication made him very drowsy so he had to leave.

The rest of the group was questioned and the man with the pad of paper had written down a lot:

 **Notes:**

 **Demyx O'Donahue, male, 19. Address: 23 Grover Road:** Claims Larxene Gray was out at a restaurant and not jogging like she claimed. He was very nervous and had a panic attack. Questioning was cut short and was not able to ask much about Vanitas or Seifer.

 **Zexion Corazza, male, 19. Address: 15 Acacia Road:** Out for a nightly walk and claims to have seen Roxas Strife at Hollow Road Graveyard, did not see anyone else. Seemed very quiet and enigmatic.

 **On Vanitas:** gave no information about Vanitas, only stating that he didn't know him that well.

 **On Seifer:** claimed that Seifer was "searching for Bigfoot" in his yard that morning.

 **Axel Flynn, male, 21. Address: 8 Mill Street #5:** At home, alone playing video games. Claims Larxene Gray, his girlfriend whom he currently lives with, did not respond to his messages he sent while she was out late at night on her jog. Seemed straightforward and cooperative, showed text messages.

 **On Vanitas:** said that he was a well known rebel of town and assured us that he knows Vanitas wouldn't mess with things like this.

 **On Seifer:** said that he hadn't seen him probably because "that one likes to track down mythical creatures in town".

 **Roxas Strife, male, 17. Address: 21 Camelot Street:** Claims he was out to visit Demyx O'Donahue that evening to play with his cats. Says Demyx wasn't home, but upon leaving he saw a strange man in a trench coat and a fedora enter his home. He also stated that this strange man entered Demyx's bedroom. Seemed a bit confused yet cooperative.

 **On Vanitas:** Vanitas is his older brother and claimed he was well known for sneaking out at night. Claims to have seen Zexion Corazza and him in shady parts of town. He also states that his brother denies ever seeing Zexion or even talking to him. Roxas also claimed that his brother is a prescription drug abuser and did not know where he acquired these substances, but blames Zexion.

 **On Seifer:** Doesn't know much about him.

 **Larxene Gray, female, 21. Address: 8 Mill Street #5;** Says she was going out for a nightly jog and says that when she returned, her boyfriend acted strange, almost paranoid about something. When we inquired her about texts he sent her, she brushed it off by saying he was lying and that "he didn't send me shit". She also claimed that he was hiding something from her and thought he was cheating on her. She also thinks that Zexion has something to hide. Seemed a bit agitated and upset.

 **On Vanitas:** Claims she has talked to him and has known him for years. Stated that "he wouldn't do any kind of shit like that. Cocaine? Yeah. Murder? Hell no".

 **On Seifer:** Says that "all that son of a bitch does is wander around the woods in search of Bigfoot". Says she doesn't know much about him.

When they all left the Police Department, there was a strong tension between them. It was like they were out to get one another. Meanwhile, the officers examined the notes and decided that some of these claims didn't add up and it was time for a further interrogation. The list of possible suspects to this crime were growing.

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters._


	5. Secrets Revealed

**_Masquerade: Secrets Revealed_**

Larxene was paranoid that entire day. She couldn't trust anyone; who knows what her friends told the officer? Maybe they all stabbed her in the back and blamed her for the killing? She wanted to text Zexion and ask him how his questioning went, but she assumed he would lie to her.

Axel left for work early that day. She had a day off and tried to settle down in the living room chair with a cup of tea. Once she turned on the TV, all she could see were images of the crime scene. Immediately, she turned it off and got dressed. It was as if her life was now defined by Xion's death; she couldn't escape it. It's been weeks and the killer hasn't even been found.

"It HAS to be someone in town." She thought aloud as she pulled on a pair of ripped jeans. "It's more than likely one of us."

There was a knock on the door and her heart stopped. Was it the police? We're they going to falsely accuse her and send her to jail? She stood frozen in her bedroom.

They knocked again, this time calling out her name. She could easily pretend she wasn't home, it's not like they could break in or anything. What did they have against her anyways?

"If I don't answer, it'll raise suspicion." She quickly walked to the front door and opened it to see two male officers.

"Ms. Gray?" A broad, black officer questioned. "If you don't mind we'd like to further question you down at the police station among a few others."

She swallowed her anxiety and put forth a confident aura.

"Of course, sir." She grabbed her hand bag, all the while her heart pounding.

At the station, she entered a small room with a table in the center. Among the two officers in this room were Zexion, Vanitas, Demyx, and Roxas. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when she saw them; it could only mean one thing:

 _Oh shit they think I'm a suspect!_

She inhaled deeply and took a seat besides Zexion. Her chin was held high; appearing to be full of confidence. There was no way she was letting them think she had anything to do with this.

Zexion didn't meet the eyes of anybody in the room, only focused on twiddling his fingers. She wondered why they would suspect him. Across from him was Vanitas, who leaned back in his chair carelessly. He looked like he had somewhere better to be. Roxas was looking around the entire room and Demyx was freaking out.

"Alright," spoke the black officer, "you may or may not know why you're all here." He flipped a light switch and the bright, florescent light turned on above them. It was definitely interrogation time. He slapped down a pile of manila folders onto the table. "It seems each of you has more information to tell on this case. Seifer was unable to make it, I was just notified that he got hit by a bus this morning."

Vanitas rested his elbow on the back of the chair. "Oh?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hopefully this doesn't take too long, I've got places to be."

The officer took a seat at the head of the table. "Let's start with you, Vanitas Strife." He pulled out a folder from the stack. "It seems you have a history of drug abuse, being under the influence in public, and are the source of many complaints from around town. Not to mention the graffiti."

"Yeah," he replied, sweeping his hand across his bangs to move them. "What about it?"

"I'd like to know where you were on the day of Xion Stoner's death. Everything you will say can and will be used against you and you are all being recorded. If you cannot agree to these terms for some reason, then please leave." Everyone glanced at each other except Zexion and nobody moved an inch. "Good, let's get on with that answer, shall we, Vanitas?"

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, so on that day I was- what was I doing?" He was silent for a moment. "Ah yes, I was at some party in the next town over that night, but during the day…" He glanced down at the table. "I was at home chilling."

"That's not true!" Roxas blurted out. When everyone looked at him he covered his own mouth. He couldn't believe he had spoken out like that. Zexion, for the first time raised his head to stare at Roxas almost in a shocked manner, and then back at Vanitas. The police officer sat back in his seat. "You went out like at nine in the morning and didn't come home until noon and then you were gone the rest of the night."

"Bullshit." Vanitas spat.

"I have Ventus, Sora, mom, and dad to back that up."

Vanitas rolled his eyes and sighed.

"So, Vanitas. Where exactly were you if you weren't home? Could you please elaborate on that?" Asked the officer.

Vanitas smirked. "Nah." The officer then faced Roxas as if asking him to say more.

"Well," Roxas started, "you can hate me all you want, but this is about Xion and I'll do anything to avenge her death somehow. On that day, Vanitas left around nine in the morning. I don't want to seem like a nosy person, but he left his phone home and-"

"Roxas, don't you da-" Vanitas tried to cut in, but Roxas continued.

"-and I checked it. I knew his password. He had gotten a message from Zexion." He pointed to him from across the table. "I don't remember what it said exactly but it had to do with delivering something I think."

"You fucking son of a bitch!" Vanitas exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table. Demyx was now shaking in his seat again, having another panic attack. All Zexion could do was just stare between Roxas and Vanitas. Larxene was unphased and crossed her arms, wondering why Axel wasn't here.

"Now, calm down." Interjected the officer. "You wouldn't want that being used against you, would you?." He sighed. "Now Vanitas, do you mind defending your arguments?"

"He's making up bullshit stories because he wants me out of the house. What an angsty bitch. Why don't you try telling them why you were at the graveyard on the night of her death, huh? What were you doing there?" Roxas' face grew red and his hands were shaking and he hadn't realized it. All this adrenaline had pumped through his system; never once had he called out somebody before.

"Well, I-uh."

"One of the pieces of evidence came from the graveyard." Stated the officer. Roxas swallowed.

"I have a confession to make, guys." He looked down into his lap and all eyes were on him. Vanitas smiled. "I'm a ghost hunter enthusiast.' He tittered and looked away. "I was in that graveyard because I was trying to get a good EVP session." Vanitas' smile faded.

"Liar."

Roxas pulled out his phone. "I have a ghost hunting app that I bought." He tapped on the application. "It uses the camera and puts it on night vision while recording EVP's. I have a bunch of tapes in my closet on EVP sessions too." Larxene shook her head, this kid was strange. "My brother Sora can vouch for me." The officer smiled and shook his head.

"Now that we have that allegedly cleared up and Vanitas won't speak further anymore, why don't we ask you, Zexion, why you would deny knowing about Vanitas?"

He tensed up and clenched his fist, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles while biting his lip. Vanitas glared at Zexion through the corner of his eye, watching his every move desperately as if to tell him not to say anything.

"I've decided not to answer that question." Vanitas smirked.

"You're not going to answer that simple question?" The officer questioned while raising his eyebrows. "Alrighty then. Roxas if you want, you can leave. We have gotten an answer from you. But, you can stay if you wish to provide further information if you have any." Roxas didn't move and nodded.

"I'll stay, you may need me." He glared at his older brother with a smirk, who rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Larxene," spoke the officer. Chills ran up her spine and her heart quickened. "Have you ever been to a place called Bastion Burger lately?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Are you serious?" She scoffed. "Hell no. I only eat healthy foods. I don't put those toxins into my body."

The officer smiled. "So where were you on the night of Xion's death? Jogging? Seems unlikely."

"I was going out for a nightly jog. What don't you people understand?"

"I saw you at Bastion Burger!" Demyx exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her with a smile. "You lied!"

"What?" She placed hand on her chest. "How dare you!" Her fist clenched and she stood up in her chair and leaned towards him.

"You specifically ordered a large number five with a chocolate pie for dessert. In fact, you ordered two of them!"

She growled. "I would never do that you son of a bitch!" Her nails dug into the table and the officer tried to get her to calm down. "I'm not calming down while he's falsely accusing me of eating shit!"

"Larxene, we did some investigating on this claim. Security cameras prove that you lied when you said you were out for a jog. In fact you came to Bastion Burger by car."

She slowly sat back down in her seat and swallowed. "But I-I-"

"Just admit it." Said Demyx while crossing his arms. "We got proof."

She held her head in her hands. "Okay fine." She breathed out a long sigh. "I'm a secret eater!" She began to cry gently. "I can't help but give into those fast food places! I'm a fake, I don't like to jog and I don't like to only eat healthy foods!" Roxas' eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open. "I fucking lied about not receiving those texts from Axel. I got every single one and deleted them. I'm a fucking fake!"

"Well," said the officer, shifting in his seat. "That's two confessions. Would anyone else like to say anything else? Vanitas?" He shook his head. "Zexion?" He didn't move or say anything. "Roxas? Demyx?" When nobody replied, he continued. "Well I think that wraps that up. Zexion, Vanitas, we'll have to do some more investigating on the both of you."

Vanitas chuckled. "Good luck with that."

"Oh," began Roxas, sitting up in his seat. "I remember going over to Zexion's house one time and, again I don't mean to be a snoop, but, in his closet were a bunch of guns. Now, if I can remember correctly, the weapon found at the scene was a handgun if you've seen the photos and the guns that I saw at Zexion's looked very similar." Zexion narrowed his eyes and sat up in his seat, crossing his arms.

"It seems you like to tattle-tale and falsely accuse. Those guns in my closet belong to my father who is a gun collector. There is no ammo, only different types, ranging in different time periods." Vanitas smiled, but didn't say a word.

The officer nodded. "Yet, you still won't give an answer for lying about not knowing Vanitas?"

"If you heard me correctly the first time, you would know the answer." He gave the officer a stern glare. "Now please, can we further the progression of this questioning?"

Roxas bit his lip and opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "I-uh-" Vanitas gave him a piercing glare. "Nevermind." He sunk in his seat. The officer encouraged him to speak. "No, it's nothing really, I promise. It isn't relevant."

"Well, this session is over. We didn't get the answers we wanted, but we are happy that a few of you came out and said what you needed. We appreciate that here at Twilight Town Police Department. Now, you may leave."

They left the police department, everyone distant except for Vanitas and Zexion. They seemed to have sided with each other, while everyone else divided. Roxas felt ashamed to have betrayed his brother, but it was worth it for Xion. Larxene, quietly went home and stayed in her bed the rest of the day, ashamed of herself.

Things were different now.

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters._


	6. Case Closed

_**Masquerade: Case Closed**_

Vanitas' and Zexion's homes were searched while they weren't home the following week. In Vanitas' they just found some drugs, and other illegal substances. There were also maps up in his bedroom of the town with spots circled in red. One of these spots happened to where Xion was found dead. Could it have been a coincidence? Or had they found her killer? They did a further investigation, but didn't find much, only alcohol bottles hidden around his room.

In Zexion's, they did happen to find his closet that had many different guns and rifles stored away. They each seemed to have their own case and there weren't any missing and they all seemed to be a different brand from the weapon found at the scene. They did however, like Vanitas, found illegal drugs and many alcohol bottles. Also, he had many different pairs of converse in his closet. Dirt samples were taken from the treads. Both were surely to be arrested, but their where abouts were unknown.

After searching and acquiring the illegal substances, the hunt for the two began. It seemed that they had left without a trace. They had sent more officers to search the woods of the town.

Meanwhile, Seifer was out of the hospital and back at home, searching for bigfoot in the woods. He had a large backpack filled with strange, beeping equipment and what seemed to be a satellite in his hands that was attached to some sort of control system. On his face were special goggles that allowed him to see heat signals. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a distinct footprint in the soil. It showed up on his lenses as orange.

Bending down, he inserted his fingers into the dirt and smelled them.

"It's fresh all right." He then tasted the dirt. "Hmm, a mammal, roughly 500 pounds…" He inhaled through his nose, motioning for the scent to enter his nose. "Definitely male." A twig snapped nearby and he pulled out his handgun, ready to kill Bigfoot once and for all. It turned out to be a porcupine and he continued his journey. He had been an active Bigfoot hunter for years, acquiring the interest from his father who claims to have seen Bigfoot numerous times in his fifty years of life. He even has photos of what he claims the be Bigfoot scattered all around his house. He was trained that if he saw anything black, to shoot immediately. Bigfoot was known to be a fast runner and he couldn't miss him. He had taken down bears in the past in forests from all over, mistaking them for the mythical creature.

It was then he heard heavy footsteps. His back slammed against a tree, crushing his equipment. His heart began to race and his gun was ready to fire. It sounded like whatever it was had deep vocals. Could it really be Bigfoot? His father would be proud. A smirk stretched across his face as he scanned the area around him. The footsteps sounded like they were getting closer as the feet shuffled through the piles of leaves and sticks.

"Oh!" It sounded like a creature had said in excitement. He peered behind the thick tree and saw a large, black figure. This was it; he had found Bigfoot! He lifted his gun to get the best shot he could and fired. The creature wailed out in pain and began to thrash around on the ground.

"I got you now you son of a bitch!" He leaped over a log and ran to his prize; his backpack bouncing as he did. He removed his goggles and saw that he had not shot Bigfoot; but a black police officer. "Holy shit." The officer tried to reach for his gun but was too injured to move. Seifer made a run for it; getting into his truck and peeling out on the street. The officer's partner had heard him yell and came rushing over, calling in an ambulance and back up. Shit just got real.

Roads to part of the town had been closed off so officers could search for the shooter. The injured officer recognized the man as Seifer Almasy and officers from other towns were warned. The bullet in the officer's side was compared to the bullet found in Xion's side; both bullets, under forensic investigation, had similar rifling patterns. This case seemed to be looking better, in terms of finding a conclusion.

The incident with Seifer spread across hundreds of news channels, newspapers, and articles on the internet. He couldn't get away too easily. In fact, he was eventually found hours later, speeding on the freeway. Once he was put into handcuffs, all his items were taken and examined. The handgun he had shot the officer with, was the same brand and model as the one found at the crime scene. But was this case exactly closed? The footprints found at the crime scene had been taken into plaster molds and examined when the body was found. The dirt was taken to forensic labs and it was found that the footprints did not belong to Seifer, but the dirt matched the same consistency as the dirt on Zexion's converse. Investigators weren't sure if this piece of information was relevant, but made note of it anyways.

Both Vanitas and Zexion could not be located still and officers from hundreds of towns were notified. Seifer, who was handcuffed and being interrogated, confessed to shooting Xion. He swore he had killed a "mini Bigfoot", but was wrong. He tried to bury her using a shovel from a nearby graveyard, but couldn't because he was distracted by what he thought was "Bigfoot", so he tossed the shovel aside and ran off into the woods. His court date was coming up and he was found to be guilty and was sentenced to jail for murder. Zexion and Vanitas however, were eventually found a week later and were arrested for the possession of illegal drugs, however Vanitas up a fight only to have his jail time extended. He'd never forget the feeling of being tased.

"The case is solved!" Larxene exclaimed, shoving the newspaper article in Axel's face. "Seifer did it!" He grabbed the newspaper and she quickly sat beside him on the couch. He just simply smirked and shook his head.

"What an idiot. At least her family got justice served." He read further into the article. "Whoa, Zexion and Vanitas arrested? That'll look good on their record." He took a sip of his black coffee. "I always knew something was up with them."

Larxene quickly got up and bounced in the heels of her feet. "I told you someone in this town did it! I freaking told you!"

"Hey, Larxene." He began in a questioning manner. She stood still and asked what he wanted. "Wanna go out for a 'salad' tonight?" She giggled. He was never going to let her down about her eating habits.

"Sure. As long as we get a side of a organic, gluten free, and vegan soup." She winked.

Still, some things remained unsolved. Who was that man entering Demyx's house? Perhaps that is another mystery for another day. But for now, this case was closed and solved.

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters._


End file.
